ZackFord Blogs | News, analysis, and commentary on LGBT rights, atheism, religious privilege, higher education, student affairs, and related social justice issues.
Zack and Peterson are back to talk about a new (old) product on the market: celibacy! Also known as “ex-gay lite.” Since the ex-gay movement has largely crumbled in recent years and it’s no longer convincing to argue that sexual orientation can be changed, conservatives are now encouraging gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to just […]
Zack and Peterson have new stories to tell about foreign worlds. Peterson’s new projects addressing climate change are not getting the warmest reception in LGBT spaces, nor are there many LGBT people at the climate change conferences he’s attended. Likewise, Zack attended his first atheist conference, speaking at the American Atheists national conference in April, […]
Zack and Peterson are together for the holidays, and rather than yak about Utah or Duck Dynasty, the two follow the travels of the afterbirth of Jesus in the Lost Gospel of the Holy Placenta. Enjoy this lighthearted and only slightly blasphemous holiday episode and let us know what you want to hear from us […]
Two episodes within less than a month’s time! It’s like some government shutdown miracle! This week’s episode is dedicated to talking about that “religious liberty” concept conservatives are always throwing around. What do they mean when they say it and how are they trying to use it do keep discriminating against LGBT people? Does a […]
Thanks to the flattery of Ben, Zack and Peterson found time for a new episode. (It may have helped that Zack is under the weather.) Among the topics are Christians are “not all like that” (NALT), how the Pope really is like that, and Peterson’s second wedding — don’t worry, it’s to the same person […]
This episode features Peterson Toscano’s tell-all about Andrew Marin and The Marin Foundation, best known for encouraging Christians to attend Pride events holding signs apologizing for how churches have harmed LGBT people. Zack listens as Peterson shares his roller coaster of confusing about whether or not The Marin Foundation is actually helping build bridges between […]
Peterson has recently uncovered the lost book of Thaddeus, that was hidden away and kept out of the Bible. He imparts its wisdom upon Zack, who is no more convinced by its alternate depiction of the life of Jesus than of the original tellings. He’s more excited that he’ll be speaking at his alma mater, […]
Zack’s blog has found salvation after being completely reconstructed, allowing it to be cleansed of its impurities and restored to new life. Similarly, Peterson has returned from his month of journeying across Europe and eagerly regales Zack and listeners with tales of his misdeeds. In fact, Peterson had quite an impact on how people think […]
The long-lost episode! This was originally recorded August 13, 2012, but was the first lost when Zack’s blog was in disrepair. Now it’s back and ready to be listened to in case you missed it! Peterson and Zack are back to have a conversation about the intersection of faiths. Peterson is getting ready to head […]
Zack doesn’t know how to count, because obviously this is episode 63, not 62. Peterson and Zack resume their in-depth personally challenging conversations about the nature of faith and how we interact with it. Peterson discusses the various ways he challenges how people respond to the Bible and interpret the stories, and as a result […]
Zack and Peterson have new stories to tell about foreign worlds. Peterson’s new projects addressing climate change are not getting the warmest reception in LGBT spaces, nor are there many LGBT people at the climate change conferences he’s attended. Likewise, Zack attended his first atheist conference, speaking at the American Atheists national conference in April, and similarly observed that queer people were simply underrepresented. What’s it like being queer in these accepting yet strangely uninclusive spaces? Oh, and Marvin Bloom’s around somewhere too.
Zack and Peterson are together for the holidays, and rather than yak about Utah or Duck Dynasty, the two follow the travels of the afterbirth of Jesus in the Lost Gospel of the Holy Placenta. Enjoy this lighthearted and only slightly blasphemous holiday episode and let us know what you want to hear from us in 2014. Also, make sure to go see Zack in New York City Monday night and check out all of Peterson’s new upcoming projects!
Two episodes within less than a month’s time! It’s like some government shutdown miracle! This week’s episode is dedicated to talking about that “religious liberty” concept conservatives are always throwing around. What do they mean when they say it and how are they trying to use it do keep discriminating against LGBT people? Does a Quaker school have to hire a Neo-Nazi? Zack and Peterson break it all down. We had a little technical glitch or two, so apologies for that, but it shouldn’t interfere too much with enjoying our delightful banter and brilliant insights.
Thanks to the flattery of Ben, Zack and Peterson found time for a new episode. (It may have helped that Zack is under the weather.) Among the topics are Christians are “not all like that” (NALT), how the Pope really is like that, and Peterson’s second wedding — don’t worry, it’s to the same person as the first. But maybe there will be a third or more! There are lots of different state options to choose from. There’s also an interjection about foot cream, but it’s probably lacking in validity. If you like what you hear and want to hear more, leave lots of comments and shower us with praise. Positive reinforcement works!
This episode features Peterson Toscano’s tell-all about Andrew Marin and The Marin Foundation, best known for encouraging Christians to attend Pride events holding signs apologizing for how churches have harmed LGBT people. Zack listens as Peterson shares his roller coaster of confusing about whether or not The Marin Foundation is actually helping build bridges between evangelical Christians and the LGBT community — as it claims — or possibly humoring some dangerous ideas. The journey includes intersections with the work of Warren Throckmorton and Mark Yarhouse, both of whom have connections to the ex-gay movement. Are bridges being built, or are there reasons to be skeptical about this work… or both?
Here’s some more information about what we talked about this week:
» Mark Yarhouse’s own reporting attempting to validate ex-gay therapy found that even those living an ex-gay life still admitted their orientations hadn’t changed.
Peterson has recently uncovered the lost book of Thaddeus, that was hidden away and kept out of the Bible. He imparts its wisdom upon Zack, who is no more convinced by its alternate depiction of the life of Jesus than of the original tellings. He’s more excited that he’ll be speaking at his alma mater, Ithaca College, for National Coming Out Day. And who, pray tell, is the most effervescent co-host of this podcast?
Zack’s blog has found salvation after being completely reconstructed, allowing it to be cleansed of its impurities and restored to new life. Similarly, Peterson has returned from his month of journeying across Europe and eagerly regales Zack and listeners with tales of his misdeeds. In fact, Peterson had quite an impact on how people think about their religious beliefs, challenging traditional interpretations of scriptures. On the island of Malta, in particular, his performance raised quite a few eyebrows and then opened some hearts. His experiences mesh with recent uprisings in the Middle East, so the podcast segues into a conversation about the fine lines between challenging, mocking, and outright offending religion. Most importantly, the podcast is back and not going anywhere anytime soon! (Note: This episode was recorded Wednesday, September 26, 2012.)
The long-lost episode! This was originally recorded August 13, 2012, but was the first lost when Zack’s blog was in disrepair. Now it’s back and ready to be listened to in case you missed it!
Peterson and Zack are back to have a conversation about the intersection of faiths. Peterson is getting ready to head to Europe, where he’ll be speaking and performing before the British Humanist Association. (You’ll also find him at the Greenbelt Festival.) Unsure of how a room full of non-believers will receive him, he turned to Zack, who obviously is prepared to speak on behalf of all atheists. We get into a conversation about discussing religion across “interfaith” spaces, and effective ways to keep the event inclusive. Plus, Zack gets one step closer to winning that toaster.
Zack doesn’t know how to count, because obviously this is episode 63, not 62. Peterson and Zack resume their in-depth personally challenging conversations about the nature of faith and how we interact with it. Peterson discusses the various ways he challenges how people respond to the Bible and interpret the stories, and as a result Zack claims victory that Peterson is actually subscribing to Humanism and challenging the Bible as a sacred text. Listen to the drama unfold!
